


The way you are

by ohutblog



Category: Star Trek: Alternate Original Series (Movies)
Genre: Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Major Character Injury, Slow Burn, alternative universe
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-09-24
Updated: 2019-10-01
Packaged: 2020-10-27 15:02:55
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,520
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20762300
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ohutblog/pseuds/ohutblog
Summary: After the events on Nibiru, Kirk had served his sentence and waited for his first assignment under the command of Captain Pike. Unexpectedly, incidents in the neutral zone had changed all plans. Again and again, Klingons had invaded the Federation space, which had to be prevented, but without triggering a war.Admiral Marcus was now in charge of the problem and although Kirk had been allowed to resume his duties as a captain and had got the Enterprise back, they were now on a military mission, because Marcus had all ships equipped with heavy weaponry.To the delight of Kirk, the torpedoes came with a new commander, who aroused the curiosity of the young captain by his aloof attidude. Little did he know that this man would turn the entire Starfleet upside down.





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> This AU starts after Nibiru. As in the movie, Kirk was demoted and Pike was assigned the command of the enterprise. Also Admiral Marcus found the Botany Bay and brought the cryotubes to Earth. Khan didn't hide his Crew in those torpedoes.

_Computer log #01 (Captain Kirk)_

_After the incident on Nibiru, which resulted in a six-month sentence on Earth, I again became captain of the spaceship Enterprise. Mr. Spock returned to his old position as my first officer, which was confirmed by Admiral Marcus. As part of our new mission, we are to head to the edge of the neutral zone to monitor the increased activity of Klingon spacecrafts and warships. Our task has the highest level of secrecy, which means that our mission is documented and has received approval from the fleet command, but will not appear in the database of the Starfleet. If there are complications, my crew is on its own. Under no circumstances may Starfleet or its admirals be contacted because the Klingons could discover or observe us. In the worst case scenario, we, the crew of the Enterprise, are responsible for the consequences of said actions. It will be an act of self-interest. The people on board were informed about the danger of the mission and agreed willingly. I would like to add that no one of my crew will start this mission without proper knowledge._

_Addition: Surprisingly, we got an additional commander on board, who was involved in the development of the new torpedoes, which are designed for long-distance goals and are hardly locatable. John Harrison will work with our Chief-Engineer Scott._

It was a good feeling to be on the bridge of the Enterprise. The old lady purred like a cat and was ready to start her new mission. 

After Nibiru, Kirk had never thought that he would enter this ship again as a captain, since Pike had been convinced he wasn't ready to bear such a responsibility. Which meant that he was demoted to a mere commander and had lost the Enterprise forever. At least, he had thought so.

After six months of grounding on Earth for James, the incidents in the Neutral Zone had become more acute. For some unknown reason, the Klingons seemed to break their deal with Starfleet and repeatedly invaded the space of the United Federation of Planets. Although no attacks had been recorded, these 'visits' by the enemy had been, by no means, coincidental. The Klingons were pursuing a plan and it was their duty to find out what they were up to, because again and again, the foreign Empire had sent their ships on missions to spy on planets. At first, they had scanned uninhabited areas and were now moving to the colonies. 

The Federation was unable to stop the illict intrusion and asked the head of Starfleet, Admiral Marcus, for help. As all involved were aware, the situation couldn't be easly fixed or be discussed, as the Klingons were known for their hostility. They had to be careful. Even if the Federation had the right to attack these ships, the actions would inevitably end in war, which they wanted to prevent at all costs. There were too many innocent people who would lose their lives and loved ones, not to mention that the Starfleet ships weren't designed for combat. 

Marcus had quickly recognized the problem, letting engineers and physicists work on different defenses, day and night, and had had the spaceships upgraded with heavy weaponry and that was why they had a completely new and yet unknown kind of torpedoes dilivered this morning, which Scotty only grudgingly left on the Enterprise. 

So, according to his Chief-Engineer, there shouldn't be such dangerous weapons on board, they were explorers and not warriors, after all. Kirk could say that he was clearly right, but unfortunately he also had orders to follow, which came directly from the admiralty. If he refused, he would probably get a trial because of disobedience and the command would banish him behind a desk in San Francisco where they could keep an eye on the blond man. That much was certain, because even if he didn't like to admit it, the young captain wanted to keep his head down for a while after the Nibiru incident. Better safe than sorry. 

However, he didn't want to have these ticking time bombs, as Scotty called them, simply be loaded onto the Enterprise, which was why he had ordered an examination of the weapons. Problem solved. Well, he had at least hoped so, then after a short time, his engineering team had reported that they weren't allowed to do research on the explosive and the impulse area. Apparently, it was all classified. 

James could have screamed. When he suggested they should just accept the instructions and load the damned things on board, Scotty had threatened to end his duties immediatly, which of course, he couldn't allow. The blond man had only been responsible for his crew for twelve hours and one of his people already wanted to quit his job. Kirk had practically had to begged that the Scot should calm down and shouldn't act out of spite, but the man hadn't given up and demanded insight into the torpedoes. Otherwise he would be gone. 

In the end, the problems could be solved and after several discussions with Marcus' men, who had prevented them from even approaching the interesting areas of the weapons in the first place, they were now assigned a new officer. Commander John Harrison.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for your comments and kudos.

When, after the initial problems, the Enterprise finally left the docking station, which was located near earth, Kirk felt a wave of relief. Sure, he had enjoyed his time off in San Francisco and had been able to make up for things which were otherwise neglected by his long travels in space. For a long time, he hadn't seen the beauty of nature or smelled the unique scent of a forest, but after weeks, even the most beautiful sunrise had lost its charm, at least, if you could see them every morning from your bedroom window. 

Many people rather suspected that he used his days on earth to sleep in and to spend his nights in shabby bars to find his next lover. In a certain way, they were right but only his closet friends knew that this part of his life was over since he had first accepted his duties as a captain. If his time on the Enterprise had taught him one thing, it was, that there were more important things than having fun with strangers.

So Kirk sat down in his chair on the bridge, taking a deep breath. Almost gently, he stroked the structure of his seat and smiled as he was followed shortly by Spock and Sulu, in which they began their work and safely led his lady out into the orbit. 

"Captain, I calculated the exact course and determined the desired position in the Neutral Zone."

Thankfully, he gave a small sign to his helmsman that he trusted him to bring his ship safely to the place where they were to meet with an employee of Marcus to get more information about their mission.

Kirk was aware that their first task was to supervise and note the activities of the Klingons. The Federation still hadn't figured out why the Empire had suddenly decided to break their deal and invade enemy territory. Of course, they had repeatedly provoked and had sent, or better, demonstrated their warships, in which they occasionally had begun small quarrels with Starfleet vessels or disturbed their missions from time to time, but otherwise, the Klingons had been relatively peaceful until now. Also, an investigation, ordered directly from Pike, hadn't shown any solution. He had proposed to look into mission protocols of the last three years to dertermine any mistakes, but unfortunately without success. 

But giving up was never a possibility, which is why the head of Starfleet was included into the situation. Admiral Marcus was a well-respected man who enjoyed the Federation's fullest confidence and also a high popularity among earth's population. When he had been told that the Klingons behaved unnaturally, he had only too gladly wanted to tackle the problem and showed full concentration in the investigation of the incidents ever since.

What no one really accepted, was the construction of new weapons which were now attached to more and more spaceships. Nobody was surprised by his actions, because since the signing of the contract, which clearly defined the zone of the Klingon Empire and the space of the Federation, Marcus had warned them that they couldn't rely on a piece of paper, but should finally design more military equipment. Other planetary alliances did the same, after all. However, he hadn't come far with his speech. The command had reminded him of the scientific and exploratory intentions of Starfleet.

Kirk only hoped he would never have to use the torpedoes because what he least wanted was to cause a war. That's why the Enterprise had to keep covered for the first time and had to wait to see what goals the Klingons pursue. 

After two hours in space, McCoy contacted him to come to the infirmary as soon as possible, as there would be problems with his new commander. Annoyed, he rolled his eyes, but inwardly he was glad that he didn't have to spend time on the bridge anymore because his crew had everything under control and didn't need his orders. He quickly ran to his oldest friend, whom he could already hear swearing.

"...don't know where you come from, but as long as you're here, my rules apply. Are we clear?"

When Kirk entered the room, he had to collect all his professionalism so he wouldn't laugh out loud. In front of him, his new commander was sitting on one of the biobeds, his back straight. As he approached, the blond man could now see Harrison's face clearly, which appeared absolutely indifferent, but his icy-blue eyes followed every movement Bones made. 

The doctor, however, seemed angry and was ready to drink a bottle of scotch alone. He ran his hand through his hair, making it even more messier than before. His posture was tense and he clutched his PADD so tightly that his knuckles were white. Usually, everyone would give in at the very moment, because as eyeryone on this ship knew, was, that you didn't mess with McCoy. He wasn't the nice doctor next door and didn't take shit from anyone. Unfortunately, the fact didn't seem to bother Harrison at all. On the contrary, the man looked as if the situation amused him. 

"What's the problem here, gentlemen?"

With these words, he made himself known and hoped that Bones in the meantime wouldn't completely surrender. The man turned to Kirk, threw his PADD at him and went to a shelf, where all forms of hyposprays were stored.

"I'm glad you're here, Jim. Our dear commander doesn't want to be examined. Never thought that there would be a patient who can be as stubborn as you are."

When McCoy found the right substance, he returned to the biobed and looked challengingly to Harrison.

"I warned you. If you don't obey and give your blood freely, I'll use other guns. It's your choice, either you willingly let me do what I have to do, or I will inject you, in the presence of the captain, a strong sedative, which will help you to relax. It'll only hurt a little. Promise."

Kirk didn't expect the situation to escalate so quickly. What was so bad about giving some blodd for medical tests? It wasn't like Bones wanted to do experiments with him, as they knew from horror movies. 

Sternly, the blond man put his hand on McCoy's arm and pushed it down again. During his speech, the doctor had waved the hypospray in front of the commander's eyes, which indicated that the two had been arguing for some time. Even though Bones didn't want anyone to tell him what he had to do, he was very patient and calm as far as his practical methods were concerned. That he was already ready to sedate Harrison spoke for itself. But the captain didn't have an explanation.   
According to the PADD, the commander had been working for Starfleet for more than a year, had even been personally hired by Admiral Marcus and seemed to have an exquisite knowledge in engineering. What Kirk didn't understand, was, that the dark-haired man acted like a child. When you start your duties, everyone had to undergo a physical and psychological examination. It was law. The idea was to make sure that the person in question was fit for traveling in outer space, otherwise they would force you into an office and hold you behind a desk. This meant, if Harrison was compatible enough to work on the Enterprise, the man had to have been tested before. So why the drama?

"Enough! Bones put that thing down!"

He quickly stood between the commander and his doctor, before the latter could change his mind.

"I ask again, where's the problem? Are there any reasons why you refuse to undergo a medical test?"

Harrison looked at him calculatingly. Through the artificial light, his skin looked pale, almost white, in contrast to it, were his black hair and his icy-blue eyes, which were now focused on him. Kirk had the feeling that the man in front of him could look directly into his soul, but whether he liked what he saw, he couldn't tell, because his face hadn't changed since the beginning of their discussion. His expression was completely disinterested, no emotion betrayed the cold facade.

"I have my instructions, captain."

His title sounded more like an insult, but Kirk couldn't focus on it because he was distracted by the deep voice. Was this man even real?

"From whom?"

Harrison chuckeled darkly.

"I'm here on behalf of Admiral Marcus to properly configure the torpedoes. As I am not an official member of your crew, but only stay on your ship for a certain period of time, such tests aren't necessary for me. I was examined thoroughly before my arrival. You can find the results in my file. Otherwise, you may personally complain about me to Marcus and request another commander. It's your choice."

Gracefully, the black-haired man get up and leaned closer to Kirk, so that he could whisper the following words in his ear.

"But we both know that this won't happen because you're too scared to attract negative attention. You don't want to lose your beloved ship. Am I right, captain?"


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for your comments and kudos.
> 
> Note: Like I said, English isn't my first language. That's why I'm not able to give Scotty a proper Scot dialect. I'm sorry!

The rest of the day went quite uneventfully to an end. Everything was fine and if they followed their course at the current speed, the crew of the Enterprise would be at the agreed place for their rendezvous with Marcus' men in about 36 hours. Theoretically, Kirk could have leaned back and could have enjoyed his first evening on his ship, but unfortunately the young man didn't find peace in his quaters.

For a few minutes now, he was looking for information about his new commander in the database of Starfleet. After the incidents in sick bay, Kirk had to use all his strength, so that Bones hadn't knocked Harrison out and eventually given him the hypospray nontheless. Just as the doctor's expression had been, he would have done more than only taking a little blood sample, but the captain could totally understand him. He, too, had been averse to hitting the smug smirk out of his face. 

Sadly, the commander was right with his suspicions in every way. It wouldn't only have been unprofessional, but could have had serious consequences for him, if he had really gone after the strange man and had punched him in the face. A captain of one of Starfleet's best ships couldn't lose his composure and attack a man of his crew because of a few words, even if they had hit a sore point. One had to act diplomatically. However, it didn't seem to be easy, if it came to Harrison. 

Kirk had already experienced Bones in situations that had cost him far more nerves and the doctor had been as cool as a cucumber. So what had changed? Could one single man get under his skin so badly that you would consider murder? 

He shook his head in frustration. He couldn't let him be provoked any further, but it didn't help that Harrison wasn't only right about his fear of losing the Enterprise, but also about the privilege to refuse a medical test. The man wasn't a permanent member of his crew, even though he was succumbing to his orders at the moment. His area of responsibility was clearly defined by Marcus and Kirk had the feeling that the admiral would take his employee back with him once they reached the Neutral Zone. Which wasn't only a pity, because despite his hostile attitude Harrison was an outstanding scientist, but also because they would be left on their own, at least as far as the weapons were concerned. Hopefully, Scotty could learn some of his new commander.

The line of thinking suddenly gave him an idea and he could kick his ass for not having thought of it earlier. Pike had once said to him, that theory only brought you to a certain point, when this point was reached, you had to take matters into your own hands. 

Kirk get up quickly, leaving his PADD with the facts about Harrison on his desk and hurrying to the quaters of his engineer. The file, which he found after the events in sick bay, couldn't help him. They merely repeated already known data about his commander, but all these notes didn't go back in time more than a year ago. There were no records of Harrison's childhood, where he grew up, which academy he had attended, not even his next of kin was listed. Certainly, there was an explanation for this and he should perhabs speak with Spock about it, but not now.

First of all, he should turn to the man who needed to know his commander, at least better than himself. Scotty had been working with Harrison since the depature of the Enterprise, side by side, and surely the two of them had also got into a conversation, had even talked about a few private things. Which was the reason he arrived a few minutes later at his Chief-Engineer's quaters. After a short knock, he could hear a soft 'come in' and and the door unlocked automatically to let him in.

"Good evening, Scotty. I see you're busy right now."

Kirk couldn't resist a teasing smile. In front of him, his engineer sat at his table gazing with pleasure his glass, which, as the captain suspected, contained an expensive and exquisite scotch.

"Jim! I wouldn't have expected you here at this time. Otherwise, you always celebrates with our dear doctor, when your lady is back in space."

Scotty was right about that. Normally, he would have visited Bones and they would have withdrawn into a quiet area of the ship to drink some tasty stuff which McCoy had probably smuggeld on board. Unfortunately, it couldn't be that way because the older man had to finish his medical evaluations, which could take some time, as he took this task pretty serious to avoid any mistakes.

"Well, as you can see, it's not possible tonight."

The capatin took the offered glass of scotch.

"Thanks. Sadly, I have to tell you that I'm not with you to get drunk, but to ask you something. Could you tell me how you deal with Commander Harrison?"

Scotty seemed surprised at the question, as a frown formed on his face. The blond man was aware that his engineer had been working with the commander for only a few hours, but he was also aware that his open mind could have had a positive effect on Harrison. The basis of many friendships was often common interests.

"What do you want to know? The man's brilliant in what he does. I mean, take the weapons for example, I've never been able to talk to someone as experienced as him. Harrison showed me how to properly align the new torpedoes and use them correctly. Did you know that our programs, which should calculate the target coordinates, are not compatible with these destructive things? The commander had to rewrite everything, otherwise we might have been attacked by one or two of the torpedoes and paralyzed our ship."

Astonished, Kirk slipped his glass onto the table.

"Wait a moment! You just want to tell me that an admiral of Starfleet would let us load these torpedoes onto the Enterprise, which we aren't able to use properly and would have killed ourselves in the end, if Harrison hadn't helped us. Is it that what you want to say?"

Scotty nodded grimly which gave Kirk a bad feeling. 

Upset, he shook his head. In fact, he had come here to learn about his new commander, as he had originally believed that this man had something to hide, but after talking with his engineer, it seemed more like that Marcus was the villain. Hopefully, he was wrong and there was a simple explanation for everything.

**Author's Note:**

> English isn't my native language.


End file.
